Solar-heat motor.



E. H. MQHENRY.

SOLAR HEAT MOTOR.

APPLIOATION 1-11.21) JUNE 2, 1909.1

Patented May 2, 1911.

EDWIN H. VMCHENRY, or nnw'HavEN, CONNECTICUT. i

' SOLAR-HEAT MOTOR.

It all whomit may concern: 7

Be it known that I, EDWIN H.-MGHENRY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Solar-Heat Moto'rs, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon. v The invention relates to new' and useful improvements insolar heat motors, that is, motors which are operated by atmospheric and solar heat. 1

An object of the invention is to provide a motor of the above character wherein the expansible operating fluid for the engine may be heated by direct exposure to-solar or at-' mospheric heat. I

In my prior Patent, #659,450,'granted Oc-, 'tober 9th, 1900, I have shown a solar heat-motor wherein a fluid is used to store and transmit heat to a vaporizer for heating an expansible fluid for operating the engine. In my 2 present apparatus, I have provided means whereby the expansible fluid foroperating the engine is heated directly. I have accomplished this by providing a vacuum. chamber into which the heated expansible fluid maybe passed and the vacuum in said chamber results in immediate liberation of a portion of the heat of the heated fluid in the form of steam or gas, which is expanded through the engine into a condenser, that is either water cooled or cooled'by the evaporation of Water on theouter surface of the condensing coils. The condensed fluid is then returned by means'of a pump .or pumps to the heat absorber, thus completing a connected cycle. j

The invention consists in the parts and arrangements hereinafter described, 'or the equivalents thereof, as defined in the appended claims. v t

- In the drawings,'which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention Figure 1 is a sectional view of certain of the parts, illustrating diagrammatically the essential features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view in section of the heat collector. Fig; 3 shows diagrammatically a modifiedv form of condenser. .Fig.,4 is'a detail view ofth e regulating valve.

V In carrying out my invention, I have pro- 55 vided'a'heat absorber F which is composed ofspaced-sheets of heat conductingmaterial H p Specification of Letters Patent.

.tion, any other suitable jiooled type,

which are connected at the sides and ends so aPatented May 2, 1911. Application filed June 2, 1909. Serial no. 499,623.

as to form an inclosed chamber. Said chamber is preferably provided with oppositely extendin'g' partitions F, constituting a circulating passage through the heat absorber. A pipe F leads to an expanding chamber or vaporizer A. (The heatabsorber is preferably provided with water although it is obvious that from certain aspects of the invenfiuid may be used. In the pipe F I have provided a pressure valve G which is maintain the desired degree of vacuum in the expansion chamber of vaporizer A. This may be" accomplished by means of an ordinary thermostator pressure regulator.

A. pump H is connected by means of a pipe with the lower end of the expansion chamber, and with the heat absorber F and will cause the circulation'through the heat absorber and expansion chamber.

The heated fluids pass into the expansion chamber or vaporizer "in which a partial vacuum is maintained. The maintenance of arranged to automatically this vacuum results in the immedi'ate-liberation of a portion of the heat of the water in the form of steam. 1

Thesteam is led through a pipe A to an engine C which as herein diagrammatically illustrated is of the turbine type, although from. certain aspects of theinvention, any other form of engine may be used. The exhaust from the engine 0 is passed through a pipe A to the condenser E. As shown in Fig. 1, this condenser is of the ordinary Water condensing coil B. The condensed fluid or water from the condenser is returned by means of a pump D to the expansion chamber A, I have indicated the water level in the expansion chamber by the dotted line I and the water level in the condenser by the dotted line K.

Instead of using a condenser of the water cooled type, I may use a condenser as shown diagrammaticallyein Fig. 3, wherein the condensing coils M are preferably provided with an. absorbent material on the outer surface thereof, which absorbent material is supplied with. water through the pipe N,'

which is connected with a reservoir '0.

A fan. P causes the circulation of air and is provided with a cold water through the condenser and the evaporation of water in the absorbent material increases the cooling efliciency of the condenser.

The starting effort for the engine may be i engine begins its operation,

and after the the condenser If communimaintains a normal vacuum.

' cation 1s opened up between the condenser and the vaporizer between the ends of the cylinder, it is apparent that the steam will flow from the vaporizer to the condenser tending to equalize the pressures with the effect of'eausing a partial vacuum in the vaporizer. The. flow into the vaporizer from the heat collector is automatically regulated and controlled by a thermostatic or pressure regulating valve, and by adjusting said valve, the degree of vacuum maintained in the vaporizer nnay be varied as will be obvious. In Fig. 4 is shown in detail such aregulator valve which, by a simple transposition of the spring and clapper on the valve stem, will perform the required function's. The Valve isnormally closed, in which position the spring pressure holds it in place; the pressures on each side of the flexible diaphragm being equal ized. The production of a vacuum in the evaporating or expansion chamber destroys this balance, and it is evident that the pressure of the external atmosphere, acting on the lower side of the diaphragm, will cause it to lift when theldifierence between the external and internal pressures is sufiicient to overcome the reaction of the spring. It.

is evident that the chamber above the flexible diaphragm must be connected with the steam space in the expansion chamber and that the spring tensionmust be adjusted to secure the desired degree of vacuum. Under operating conditio s, it is clear that a valve so regulated woul tend to maintain a constant degree o f vacuum in the expansion chamber, asany diminution of pressure caused by increased consumption of steam,

would act to open the valve wider, and per contra the tendency of the pressure to rise would be, governed by: the partial or complete closing ofthe valve. As the volume of steam liberated in the expansion chamber from the hot water is dependent upon the flow of hot water through the chamber, which is regulated by the valve, the action Thus the special lator valve is to in function of this regu crease or throttle the flow of hot, water into the'vaporizer in such a manner as to insure the maintenance of a constant pressure in the vaporizer, which pressure would be less Under such conditions, the water will part with its surplus heatby the evaporation, the vapor being further expanded in passing through the engine cylinder to the condenser; Fluctua tions of load or differences inthe temperature of the hot water supply would be regulated by the greater or less admission of heated water necessary to maintain the de-,

sired constant pressure in the vaporizer.

The operation of my device will be apparent from the above disclosure; The water or fluid in the absorber F 'will be heated by exposure to solar or atmospheric ,heat, and as it passes into the vacuum chamber it will expand, producing steam or.,an expansible gas which may be conducted to the engineC through the pipe A. The exhaust from the engine passes to the condenser and the condensed fluid is returned by the pump D to the vacuum chamber and is caused to return to the heat absorberby the pump H. Y 4

It will be evident therefore, that I have provided a solar motor wherein a. fluid for operating the engine is heated by direct exposure to the solar or atmospheric heat.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecnre by'Letters Patent, is

l. A solar motor including in combination, an engine, a heat absorber, an expansion chamber or vaporizer between said heat absorber and said engine, for regulating said expansion chamber or vaporizer, a condenser connected to said engine, and means for returning the con densed fluid from the condenser to the heatabsorber.

2. A solar motor including in combination,' a heat absorber wherein the expansible fluid may be exposed to atmospheric or solar a pressure valve heat, an expansion chamber or vaporizer, a

pressure regulator between the heat absorber and said vaporizer, a pump -tor returning fluid from the vaporizer to saldheat absorber, an engine with which said vappr- 1261' 1s connected, a condenser for receiving 

